Hacker International
Hacker International (ハッカーインターナショナル) was a Japanese video game company that developed and published games from 1990 to 1994 for the Nintendo Famicom (including Famicom Disk System) and NEC PC Engine (including PC Engine CD) consoles. The company was known for its play-for-porn approach to gamingSheff, David: Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children (1993), with such games as AV Pachi-Slot (Hot Slots) and Soap Panic (Bubble Bath Babes) featuring female nudity as a reward for skillful playing. These games were usually distributed through mail-order and sold approximately 30,000 to 50,000 copies each. Many of their games were developed by Taiwanese companies and were released in non-pornographic form elsewhere in the world; however, three of were released in the USA for the Nintendo Entertainment System with pornography intact (albeit sometimes modified to "Westernize" the girls' features) by another Taiwanese company, Panesian. The Hacker name was first used by Satoru Hagiwara, an entrepreneur and former music producer, for a monthly PC magazine. Hacker International was founded by Hagiwara as an outlet for its writers' ideas; its first product was the Hacker Junior, an upgrade for Famicom systems that provided composite video output and turbo controllers, for which they were sued by Nintendo and eventually settled out of court. The company was also known for the Disk Hacker software which allowed users to copy Famicom Disk System disks using only an ordinary Disk System (as opposed to the official method of using Nintendo's authorized Disk Writer units, which were placed only in game stores and charged 500yen to copy a selected game to a customer's disk)Disk Drive Add-On For The Famicom. Several versions were released to combat successive anti-piracy measures introduced by Nintendo. None of Hacker's games were licensed by the respective console manufacturers; Hiroshi Yamauchi personally opposed pornographic content in Famicom games, believing they would tarnish Nintendo's reputation. When Tokuma Shoten's Family Computer magazine published advertisements for Hacker's games, it felt its relationship with Nintendo—which it relied on for preview materials—was so threatened that five of Tokuma's top executives traveled to Nintendo to apologize to Yamauchi in person. However, NEC was more tolerant of Hacker's PC Engine releases (under the Games Express brand) and actually thanked Hacker for helping console sales.Hacker International's head speaks Hacker became a licensee for the PlayStation under the name Map Japan, releasing 15 games, but eventually closed in 2001 due to competition from other publishers and Hagiwara's loss of interest in gaming. Hacker's relationship to other Japanese adult console game producers of the era, such as Super Pig and MIMI Pro, is debated. For example, in the case of Super Pig, some claim this is merely a pseudonym under which Hacker published Disk System gamesShoveen, Nick: How To Be A Porno Producer (2007) while others maintain it is an entirely separate company that only occasionally worked with Hacker. Super Pig's Computer Magic Games Famicom ROM cartridge Famicom Disk System *''Bishoujo Alien Battle'' *''The Golf Bishoujo Classic'' *''Date De Black Jack'' *''Kobayashi Hitomi Shougeki Tennis'' *''Kobayashi Hitomi no Hold Up'' *''Bishoujo Hanafuda Club Vol.1'' *''Bishoujo Hanafuda Club Vol.2'' *''Bishoujo Kachinuki Rennju Gomoku Narabe'' *''Fairy Pinball - Yousei Tachi no Pinball'' Super Pig games *''Emi chan no Moero Yakyuuken!'' *''Aki to Tsukasa no Fushigi no Kabe'' *''Gal's Dungeon'' *''Sexy Yakyuuken Adventure II'' *''Bishoujo Sexy Puzzle'' *''Bishoujo Sexy Derby'' *''Bishoujo Sexy Slot'' *''Sexy Invader'' MIMI-Pro games *''Bishoujo Mahjong Club'' *''Tenshi Tachi no Houkago'' *''Fruits Mahjong 1'' *''Fruits Mahjong 2'' *''Fruits Mahjong 3'' *''Fruits Mahjong 4'' *''LIP STICK #1 Lolita Hen'' *''LIP STICK #2 Joshi Kousei Hen'' *''LIP STICK #3 OL Hen'' *''LIP STICK #4 Hakui no Tennshi Hen'' *''LIP STICK #5 Schwerdes Hen'' *''Meimon Joshi Kousei Sailor Fuku Bishoujo Zukan #1 Meimonnyama no Te Ojousama Joshikou Henn A'' *''Meimon Joshi Kousei Sailor Fuku Bishoujo Zukan #2 Meimonnyama no Te Ojousama Joshikou Henn B'' *''Meimon Joshi Kousei Sailor Fuku Bishoujo Zukan #3 Meimonn Seijun Ojousama Kouritsu Joshikousei A'' *''Meimon Joshi Kousei Sailor Fuku Bishoujo Zukan #4 Meimonn Seijun Ojousama Kouritsu Joshikousei B'' *''Meimon Joshi Kousei Sailor Fuku Bishoujo Zukan #5 Meimonn Jjunnai Ojousama Shiritsu Kouritsu Joshikousei A'' *''Meimon Joshi Kousei Sailor Fuku Bishoujo Zukan #6 Meimonn Jjunnai Ojousama Shiritsu Kouritsu Joshikousei B'' Indies Soft games *''Body Conquest Abakareshi Musumetachi'' *''Game no Tatsujin Money Wars'' *''Mahjong Goraku Bishoujo Meijinsen'' *''Comic Sakka Series Tiuma Sennki 1 Mashoujo Gakuen Evil'' *''Comic Sakka Series Tiuma Sennki 2 Mermaid no Gyaskushu'' *''Comic Sakka Series Tiuma Sennki 3 Ryushins Sensei Kiki Ippatsu'' *''Comic Sakka Series Tiuma Sennki 4 Tenku Ryu Maou Fukkatsu'' *''Comic Sakka Series Tiuma Sennki 5 Youju Rudo no Chousen'' Famicom Disk System Tools *''Disk Hacker Ver 1.1'' *''Disk Hacker II'' *''Hacker Pro Digital'' *''Disk System you Nama Disk'' PC-Engine HuCard All games branded Games Express. *''AV Poker World Gambler'' *''Quiz Toukou Shashin'' *''Strip Fighter II'' *''Body Conquest II ~Kyuseishu~'' *''Lady Sword ~Ryakudatsu sareta 10nin no Otome~'' *''PC Pachislo Idol Gambler'' PC-Engine CD All games branded Games Express, they require the Games Express System Card. *''AV Tanjou'' *''CD Pachislo Bishoujo Gambler'' *''CD ・ Bishoujo Pachinko'' *''CD Hanafuda Bishoujo Fanclub'' *''CD Mahjong Bishoujo Chushinha'' *''Hi-Leg Fantasy'' *''Bishoujo jiang Shi Idol Pi'' PC-Engine Tools *''Hacker CD Card'' (More commonly known as Game Express System Card) Trivia *The shape of the Famicom Cartridge is often done as a trapezoid shape. This prevents it from the Famicom Eject Lever which is the mechanism is patented by Nintendo. *Hacker International also distributed how to get around with the Nintendo's anti-piracy protection code to various companies. One of them was Sezon; a company that also made various adult Famicom Disk System games under their Wild/Pheonix alias. Another company was I2 who made the Tonkachi Editor and various Famicom Disk System copiers/modifiers. *Some of the Super Pig and MIMI Pro. games use Kazuo Sawa's sound driver. The Fairy Pinball uses Hiroshi Nakamura's sound driver. *Some of the Hacker International games are currently acquired by a company named Dream Box Japan and the games are sold in Japan on a ROM format. These games include Body Conquest, Pyramid, Kobayashi Hitomi no Hold Up, Shinsen Mahjong Seifuku Hen, and Mahjong Samit Kabukicho Hen. References External links *GameFAQs.com *Hacker International and Panesian at nesplayer.com Category:Companies from Japan Category:Developers Category:Hacker International Category:Publishers